


A Friend to Know Me

by Mara



Category: Kamen Rider OOO
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 06:38:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2841641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara/pseuds/Mara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shingo's got a crush on Eiji. At least he's mostly sure it's his crush. Fairly sure?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Friend to Know Me

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt on the Kamen Rider Kink Meme. Possibly AU, since I haven't seen any of the canon that takes place after the series ended.

Shingo often wondered if it would have been easier if he had no memory of what had happened while Ankh was in control of his body.

If he hadn't been partially present, then he wouldn't know what Eiji looked like when he was heartbroken. He wouldn't know what Eiji looked like when he was elated. He wouldn't know what Eiji looked like when he was _naked_. 

Apparently Ankh had no concept of privacy. Which shouldn't be surprising, Shingo supposed, but it didn't make his life any easier now that he had his body back.

Because after a year tangled up in the mind of an alien being, Shingo was having a hell of a lot of trouble getting himself back untangled. Especially when it came to Hino Eiji.

* * *

It should have been awkward, that first day after Ankh sacrificed himself. Everyone conspired (because they were like that) to force Shingo and Eiji to spend some time alone.

"Thank you," Eiji said before Shingo even got his scattered thoughts in order.

"For...?"

"For helping Ankh. And helping me."

Shingo flushed. "I didn't do much."

"We wouldn't have made it this far without you." Eiji paused, looking down. "Ankh wouldn't have made it as far as he did."

"He did care about you." Shingo hadn't meant to say it, but it seemed right. "I mean, a lot of things are mixed up in my brain, but he didn't do it to save the world. He did it to save you."

Eyes shining, Eiji looked up. "Thank you."

Shingo felt his heart skip a beat and all he could do was smile back.

* * *

Eiji was gone soon afterward.

Shingo was surprised to get an e-mail four days after Eiji left. He almost forwarded it to Hina, assuming it was meant for her, but decided on a whim to open it. 

_Have you ever been in a desert? It's usually the most alone feeling you can have, very different than a mountain or a forest. I still feel like Ankh is with me, though._

It took him a long time to come up with a response, even a stupid one.

_I haven't traveled much, certainly not like you and Chiyoko. I'd like to, someday. Where are you going next?_

Shingo had a clear image of lying in a tent on a bed of sand, with Eiji lying beside him. He put it out of his mind with a mental effort and finished getting ready for work. The reply came that evening.

_I was thinking of someplace completely different. Maybe Thailand for the humidity. There's always someone who needs help fixing up a boat or repairing nets. How is it being back at work?_

Shingo smiled, imagining Eiji hanging his spare underwear on the end of a pole while he sewed up nets.

_Work is strange after being away. It feels like a century since I did my job, but it's getting better. We caught some bank robbers the other day before they could pull off another job. That felt good._

And with that, Shingo found himself receiving a regular and amusing stream of anecdotes, questions about what he was doing, speculations about what crazy thing Kougami or Date might do next, and general musings on life.

In return, Shingo found himself taking note of his co-workers' funniest stories so he could pass them on, reading the newspapers intently so he could reply to comments about current events, and checking his e-mail even more regularly than he always had.

The day he cornered a kidnapper and got shot for his pains, the e-mail arrived while he was in surgery having two bullets removed from his shoulder.

_Be careful. Please be more careful. I don't ever want to receive a call like that from Hina again._

As soon as the anesthesia wore off, Shingo apologized profusely, then waited for a response. He was an unusually bad patient, driving the nurses mad with his refusal to sleep or put his phone down. He even ate one-handed, which made Hina give him a strange look during her visit, but either she knew the reason or she chose not to ask.

When the reply arrived, 24 hours later, Shingo fell asleep almost immediately, phone still clutched in his sweating hand and a smile on his face.

_You're forgiven, of course. You should know better than anyone that I can't hold a grudge. Heal quickly._

* * *

Eiji kept him updated on what country he was in and what he'd learned about the Greeed. Shingo was always torn because...he wanted to know. He did. But a small and petty piece of him wanted to be able to forget Ankh. Or wanted Eiji to forget Ankh.

Shingo hated that piece of himself, which was ironic, because he was fairly sure he'd learned how to be totally selfish from Ankh.

It was still difficult to tell sometimes.

"What do you want?" Shingo snapped when Hina called him away from his computer. When he turned, she was staring at him. He flinched.

"Shingo..."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She smiled, stepping forward to put a hand on his shoulder. "You're allowed to be in a bad mood, even if—"

"Even if it makes me sound like him."

Hina nodded. "But you're not him. Believe me, I would know."

Shingo managed a normal-sounding laugh. "I guess you would."

But he was twitchy for the rest of the day.

* * *

Shingo was poking at a new tablet Hina had gotten him for his birthday when his computer pinged. Surprised, he accepted the FaceTime call without even looking to see who it was, which was why he wasn't prepared for Eiji.

"Hi. I hope...it's not too late to talk, is it?" Eiji sounded unusually subdued.

Alarms went off in Shingo's brain and he put down the tablet. "Of course not. What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" 

Shingo crossed his arms and waited.

"Er, it's nothing important." Eiji looked away from the camera. "How was your birthday? I'm sorry I didn't call. I was out of satellite range."

"It was fine," Shingo said slowly, trying to figure out wh—oh. Oh. "You're thinking of last year."

Face reddening, Eiji still wasn't looking straight at the camera. "Yeah. I wasn't...we never asked you how you felt about it. The birthday party. For Ankh."

"And for me. You might not have known yet that I was aware but I remember it." Shingo couldn't help chuckling. "Ankh was so frustrated by the whole thing but it was nice. I was happy, I guess. I felt like everyone remembered me."

Finally Eiji looked at him. "Really?"

"Really."

Eiji smiled, but it was still a shadow of his usual happy expression. "I'm glad."

Shingo wanted to smack his forehead. Of course, that wasn't the only thing that had happened. "Then Ankh was absorbed into the other one."

"But I got to meet you again," Eiji managed another smile. "At least for a little while."

Shingo couldn't quite muster a smile as he remembered his ridiculous attempts to step in for Ankh. "True."

"It was very brave of you to let him..." Eiji trailed off, still uncharacteristically subdued.

"It wasn't brave. I couldn't do anything to help you defeat the Greeed, no matter how much I wanted to." It was Shingo's turn to look away. "You needed him back."

"I tried to—"

"I know." Shingo looked back at the camera. 

"I...Ankh was my friend. I wanted to know you, but I didn't yet."

"I was there. I _know._ "

Eiji chewed on his lower lip. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called." 

"Eiji!" Shingo said before Eiji could disconnect. "I'm glad you did call. Honest. There are ways in which I miss him too, the cranky bird."

That surprised a laugh out of Eiji. "Sometimes I wonder why I'm trying to bring him back."

Because you love him, Shingo thought. "Because you're a good person," he said. "And his sacrifice deserves a reward."

* * *

Eiji came ho—back to Japan a week later in a flurry of little presents for his friends. Small thoughtful things he'd picked up just before leaving India that were light and easy to carry.

The leather cord that Eiji gave him with a hesitant smile was intriguing, but Chiyoko dragged him away before Shingo could ask any questions. It was a bracelet, he assumed from the size, with several beads strung on it and a small silver circle with a six-pointed star.

Sliding it onto his wrist, Shingo found it fit perfectly.

* * *

The welcome back party went until the late hours and Shingo drank more beer than he had in years. The room started to spin, just a bit, so he stepped outside for fresh air, leaning against the fence.

Somehow he wasn't surprised when Eiji came to lean beside him a few minutes later. Shingo stared up at the few stars he could see in the cloudy sky, desperately trying not to move closer to the warm body next to him.

"They're rudraksh seeds," Eiji said eventually. "On the bracelet. They're for good luck and good fortune. They're supposed to be the tears of Shiva."

Shingo touched the bracelet, smiling. 

"Oh, and the star is a seal of Solomon. It's the most powerful talisman for protection in a dozen different cultures." Eiji grinned. "Combine the two and maybe you'll manage to stay out of trouble."

Laughing, Shingo bowed slightly. "Thank you."

"So..." Eiji cleared his throat.

"Hmm?"

"Can I kiss you?" Eiji blurted out.

"Eh?" Shingo almost fell over, but caught himself just in time.

In the dim light, it was hard to tell, but it looked like Eiji was blushing. "I've been thinking about it for a long while. But it's okay if you say no, I won't—"

"Yes," Shingo said before he could second-guess himself.

"Oh." Eiji's smile was broad and contagious and he stepped in front of Shingo. "Well, then." With gentle hands, he cupped Shingo's face and drew him forward. "I suppose I will."

Shingo's eyes drooped closed against his will as Eiji's mouth pressed against his. He put his hands lightly on Eiji's hips, breathing in a scent that was as familiar to him as his sister's.

It wasn't until the kiss was over that he realized that it was familiar to him through Ankh's memories and he shuddered.

Eiji studied him. "What's wrong?"

"I've also wanted to do that for a long time." Shingo paused. "I think."

"You think?"

"I'm not...I don't always know what's me."

"As opposed to Ankh."

Shingo ducked his head, feeling a physical wrench in his gut. "Yeah."

"I understand," Eiji said after a while. "I wanted to kiss you before I left, but I was still relearning how to want something for myself, how to _desire_ again. And..."

"You were in love with Ankh," Shingo said.

Eiji shook his head. "No. I was _worried_ I was in love with Ankh. I loved, no, I love Ankh, but not in the same way I love you."

Shingo swallowed sharply. "You can't. You don't even know me."

"Of course I do," Eiji said, touching his cheek. "I spent a year with your sister telling me all about you and almost a year getting to know you for myself. And Hina wasn't exaggerating about how wonderful you are."

"Oh. I..." Shingo mentally added up every e-mail, every phone call, every video call and realized just how much they'd talked.

"No pressure. Just give me a chance?"

Shingo nodded and Eiji's face beamed in the way Shingo knew was pure happiness. They went back inside to the party, arms brushing as they walked.

* * *

It took some time, but eventually Shingo relaxed and enjoyed Eiji's company. They drank tea together at the restaurant, sat in the park on weekends, and watched bad movies so they could laugh at them.

One night, the credits rolled on a particularly bad movie and Shingo turned to say something to Eiji, only to find the other man watching him. Laughter dying in his throat, Shingo looked back.

And then in a tangle of limbs, they were kissing. Shingo found himself lying on Eiji, feeling the muscles that were well-hidden by baggy pants and floppy shirts. He groaned as Eiji shifted his hips in just the right way.

Trying to catch his breath, Shingo pulled away, tugging on Eiji's hand until they were both standing. Another long kiss and Shingo pulled Eiji to his room, thankful Hina was at a friend's for the night.

They lay together, kissing and tasting, eventually removing bits of clothing as they remembered them. Shingo laughed when he realized he still had his socks on and Eiji crawled over him in order to remove them, kissing each toe before working his way back up.

The buildup was slow and all the sweeter for it. By the time he came, Shingo was moaning Eiji's name over and over.

Afterward, they curled up, half sliding off the futon's edge, laughing softly as they tried to find a comfortable position. Shingo drifted to sleep with his face buried in Eiji's hair and their legs tangled up.

* * *

Eiji left again a few weeks later—heading for Bangladesh to help out after a flood and also chase a lead on reviving Ankh. Shingo missed him, but he'd known going into the relationship that it would be this way. At least now he wasn't surprised by the random e-mails or calls.

This time, Eiji was gone for three weeks and back for one before leaving for China. Shingo and Eiji spent a significant portion of that one week in bed, to the point that Hina couldn't look him in the eyes and Shingo's partner gave him a strange look when he showed up to work on the third day. "You might want to ask your girlfriend to leave the love bites a little lower next time. It's distracting to the rest of us."

Shingo blushed and stammered some kind of agreement.

Eiji was standing at the sink peeling a mandarin orange when Shingo got back to his apartment. Taking a bite, Eiji moaned, juice dripping over his fingers and off his chin. "This is so good," he said to Shingo. "Would you like a bite?"

Shingo had other plans for the evening, but that moan went straight to his groin and the two of them went straight to bed. Shingo licked a sticky spot on Eiji's chin. "Very tasty," he said. "I think I need more."

Eiji tilted his head. "Maybe there's some on my neck."

"I didn't mean the orange."

"Ah."

They were a lot stickier when they were done, but Shingo just rested his cheek on Eiji's shoulder, hand idly stroking Eiji's other arm.

His eyes were closing as he was hit by a painfully familiar sense of vertigo. He could feel his hand touching Eiji but it was as if he was only partially present. As if he was again shoved to the back of his own mind.

He couldn't help the full-body shudder, almost a convulsion, even as his senses snapped back to normal.

"What's wrong?" Eiji held his shoulders, kneeling over him.

Shingo couldn't answer immediately, busy ensuring his teeth wouldn't chatter. "A flashback," he choked out when Eiji looked like he was about to call an ambulance. "It doesn't happen much now. I'm okay."

He must have looked terrible, because Eiji didn't look convinced, gripping his shoulders painfully hard. "Flashback? What kind of flashback?"

"Really, I'm okay."

"That didn't answer my question."

"It's nothing," Shingo snapped. "Leave it alone."

"I'll keep bugging you, you know," Eiji said.

He should have known that a man who could befriend Ankh wouldn't be deterred by a simple rude tone of voice. Closing his eyes, Shingo tried to stop thinking about Ankh, which wasn't going to make him feel any better. Of course, that meant all he could think about was every time Eiji had touched Ankh's arm or back and how it had felt and how warm Eiji's skin always was.

"Shingo."

He opened his eyes. "Being awake but not in control. It's like the feeling as you're losing consciousness, your vision narrowing down and everything moving away from you, but it's constant."

Eiji gripped his shoulders. "You're here with me. It's just you and me."

Shingo paused. "I know." At least, he was fairly certain he knew that.

* * *

Eiji came and went, sometimes staying for a week, sometimes for almost a month. He'd even accumulated a few possessions, which lived either in Shingo's room or at Cous Coussier when Eiji was traveling. Shingo tried not to read too much into that.

Seven months after that first night in his apartment, the e-mail that broke his heart had only six words: "He's back. On our way home."

Shingo managed to sound happy when Hina called, his sister almost crying. He joined everyone at the restaurant a day later, because it would look too strange if he wasn't there to meet his...whatever Eiji was. Shingo was fairly sure he was fooling most of them, although Satonaka did give him a searching look.

Shingo happened to be looking toward the door when it opened and an annoyed-looking Ankh (still with his face and that ridiculous hair, damn it) was propelled inward, followed by Eiji looking as ecstatic as Shingo could recall.

Eiji's hand never left Ankh's back as he pushed him into the room and called out cheerful greetings. Gripping his beer tightly, Shingo watched as Date descended on them, cheering and clapping them on the back (nearly knocking them over), while Gotou managed his more restrained welcome. Chiyoko and Hina were bouncing with glee.

Pointedly avoiding Satonaka's eyes, Shingo could still feel her studying him from her position by the bar. She wouldn't say anything unless she absolutely had to, though, so it was okay.

This time everyone wasn't even subtle. Eiji grabbed Ankh's arm and Hina grabbed Shingo's and they shoved the two of them into the tiny hallway, slamming the door shut behind them.

Ankh tsked and then glared at him. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Someone probably had an idea you were supposed to thank me for my help," Shingo said.

"Hmph," Ankh said.

"I wasn't expecting it. I know better."

Ankh gave him a knowing smirk. "You and Eiji, hmm?"

"I...yes. But now..." Shingo felt his throat closing.

"What?"

"You're back."

"So?" Ankh tilted his head in that birdlike fashion.

Shingo shook his head, unable to articulate anything now that the moment he'd expected had arrived.

"Wait. You really _do_ think Eiji wants to mate with me?" Ankh stared at him. "And that I want to mate with him? I thought Eiji was being ridiculous. You humans and your mating obsession." Ankh rolled his eyes. "I'm not even a mammal. I have no interest in Eiji's body or his mind. That was all you."

"But..."

"And if you think he wants to mate with me, you're dumber than I thought." Ankh huffed a breath and slammed open the door so he could stalk back into the main room.

Shingo was glad the wall was there to hold him upright, especially when Eiji came through the door a moment later, brow furrowed in concern. 

"Ankh doesn't, I mean, he's not..." Shingo said, shaking his head in the hope it would knock his brains back into place.

"Not interested in me? I know. And that's fine, because he's not the one I want." 

"I..."

"I understand. And I've been patient." Eiji came closer. "I've been patient with your delusion that I don't really love you."

Shingo looked down.

"Yeah, I knew. I've been patient because I understand how mixed up everything has been for you _and_ for me. Shingo, will you please look at me?" 

Eiji was right in front of him, his sandaled feet just inches away. Shingo swallowed a few times before looking up. "Sorry."

"Do you understand now that I love you and not Ankh?"

Shingo nodded. 

"Even more importantly..." Eiji took a breath. "Do you understand that it wasn't Ankh who loved me?"

Looking at the impossible, irresistible, and incorrigible man in front of him, Shingo wondered how he could have ever doubted it. "I do understand."

"No more doubts?"

Pushing off the wall, Shingo brought himself face-to-face with Eiji. "No doubts. I love you."

Eiji's smile was almost blinding in its intensity and Shingo understood something else: He'd thought he already knew every one of Eiji's moods, but this...this was something new. This transcendent joy was just for him and it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Throwing his arms around Eiji, Shingo just held on tight and reveled in being alone in his mind but together with the man he loved.

\--end--


End file.
